Maroons great keen to replace Slater despite ‘pressure cooker’ admission

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Queensland great Darius Boyd has put his hand up to take over from Billy Slater next year, but admits it would be a “pressure cooker” role to take on.

Slater took many by surprise last week when he stood down from the Maroons position, having won three of his five State of Origin series in charge.

Since the decision was made, Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston – two of Slater’s long-time teammates who had also assisted him on the staff – have both pulled out of the race, while Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters has done the same.

Ben Te’o and Matt Ballin have emerged as the front-runners to lead the Maroons for 2027 and beyond, given they had worked closely with Slater and have their own aspirations to become head coaches, whether at club or rep level.

Broncos great Corey Parker has also thrown his hat in the ring, telling SEN Radio on Wednesday morning that it was something he would consider.

“I’ve definitely got an itch to coach. If they thought that I was an option, well, it’d be certainly something I’d, you know I’d look to talk further about,” Parker said.

Another man firmly in the mix is Boyd, who scored 17 tries in 28 matches during a stellar Origin career and was part of Queensland’s eight-straight series wins.

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Since retiring, Boyd has started to dip his toe in the water with coaching, having led the Queensland U19s side to an upset win over NSW this year.

Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ QLDER this week, Boyd was cautious when asked about pursuing the top job and doesn’t believe Queensland officials need to rush a decision with some quality candidates putting their hands up.

“Look, it’s a huge role,” the Dragons premiership winner said.

“If the QRL rang me I’d definitely have that conversation. It’s a huge job, pressure cooker, but if the QRL wanted to have a chat to me I’d love to do so.

“There’s no rush [for QRL] – do your due diligence. You make sure it’s the right person, because at the end of the day it’s a huge legacy to uphold, what Mal [Meninga] has done in our time and what Billy has taken over recently.

“You want to make sure whoever takes on that role has the right team around them to have continued success for Queensland.”

Boyd retired from playing in 2020 and took some time before kick-starting his coaching journey in an outside backs mentorship role with the Broncos.

He left the club when Kevin Walters was sacked, but was quickly snapped up by Queensland to help with the pathways system and future Origin stars.

A quiet and unassuming personality during his playing days, Boyd said he has relished the opportunity to work closely with the next generation.

“I really enjoyed my time with the 19s, it’s a great pathway, seeing some of those guys come through and then make their NRL debuts,” he said.

“If I’m being honest it took me a couple of years of dipping my toe in to realise it was something I wanted to take a bit further.

“For me it’s about making a difference. I think about my journey to rugby league, and what someone like Wayne [Bennett], or Mal in Origin, what they did for my career, some of those leaders in great teams I had as well.

“Making a difference to someone’s life, and seeing them celebrate and spend it with their family ... it’s a vehicle for bettering people’s lives and success.

“To see that over time, players that come into the game and better themselves and reach their dreams and their goals, it is something that really inspires me and I’d love to be able to create that for the next generation.”

Boyd coached some of the best young Queensland talents in rugby league this year, with the likes of Bishop Neal, Tupou Francis and Hayden Watson touted as future stars, with the latter already making his NRL debut with Melbourne.